Sold to a Savage

LYDIA

What was the moon goddess thinking? I asked myself as the auctioneer yelled out loud that Alexios Rose had won the bid considering that no one else dared to toss a contender.

"Sold for five million." The auctioneer sounded overjoyed. I could hear the slaver scream from behind the curtains. A contract was immediately brought over and Alexios signed, solidifying my fate. Enjoy your purchase." The auctioneer told Alexios as he slammed the paperwork close. "Have a great evening."

A woman. Dark-haired. Pale skin and onyx orbs ran to Alexios's side. She had a worried look on her face. She pulled Alexios by the arm and pulled him close like he wasn't a killer. It was crystal clear that she didn't get him. I dared to say that she looked furious. I just couldn't wrap my fingers as to why. No matter though. Life had kicked me hard enough. I was going to die just like I had manifested in the four cold walls of the cell. I knew I should be afraid. I needed to be. But I wasn't. The man inches away from me had killed my father. His disdain for my lack was the very thing that led me here. The circle of it all was that he had just bought me. I was his property. I was also his mate. Alexios Rose is my mate, I repeated to myself not sure I wanted to believe it myself. The enemy was my true mate. I was nearly sure of it. My wolf and his had called to one another. The bond had started. Fragile, but it was there. I wondered if he felt it too. Was that why he bought me? A hundred questions flooded my thoughts.

"Why did you buy her?" The girl latching on to Alexios demanded. "You promised you wouldn't let your hate make your choices for you. You promised." Tears gushed from her eyes. She wanted to say more but the constriction from holding down her tears wouldn't let her.

Was this his lover? I pondered. The second that thought skimmed through my thoughts, I got my answer. Alexios wiped the straying tears off her cheeks and whispered. "This isn't hate Fiona."

"Then what is it?" The girl I believed to be Fiona demanded. "Because I know damn well you did this because of who and what her family stands for. She is not Duncan Nightshade, Alexios. She is her own person."

"We will discuss this in the car," Alexios promised. "People are beginning to stare."

Agreed. All eyes were on us and the whispering tongues wouldn't shut up. Not to mention that their argument was hindering the auction from progressing. Fiona agreed and slowly walked to the door. Alexios signaled to the security at the door and I watched them run over. They instantly knew what he wanted. They undid my collar from the other girls and handed it to Alexios. I noticed a crooked smile creep up his lips as the metal made contact with his palm.

"Come on little orphan." He mocked me, immediately tugging at my collar. I clawed at the collar as I gasped for air. He showed no mercy. He headed towards the door without the slightest concern for whether I followed suit or not. Well, it was either I obeyed or suffered from asphyxiation. I was not surprised. It was something I expected from Alexios Rose. It felt more like karma than an act of retribution. My father had done the same or perhaps even worse to the Rose pack and many others whilst he was in his prime. The collar compressed against my throat the second time. It was tighter. More frightening. So I swallowed whatever pride I thought a being like me could have left and followed. A burst of chatter rang out, and a couple of wolf whistles. Someone slapped me on the butt but what could I do. Tears blinded my sight as the hurtful words followed.

"Such fuckable mouth for a Nightshade princess..."

"I'd pay gold to watch whatever Alpha has in store for her..."

There were many others but my ears managed to block them out or maybe it was the fact that my tears became so loud that it was all I could hear. The cool air hit my face as soon as the twin doors leading to freedom shifted open. Alexios stopped halfway to his car. The girl from before was in it already. I had thought he stopped to get his bearings or maybe even acknowledge the mate pull that had transpired earlier. But I was stupid to ever think that would happen.

"How was that?"

I remained quiet. Unsure of what exactly he was referring to. The mate bond or the humiliation I had to endure walking a pack of werewolves naked?

"Answer me!" He growled and without waiting for my reply, he continued. "I enjoyed watching you tear up. I have to admit that a ray of sunshine made its way to my pitch-black heart watching your dignity as a woman being stripped from you." I was repulsed. He tugged at the collar again, forcing me to close the proximity between us. I fell face front into his hard, toned body, my arm in vicious pain resulting from his tight hold on it. My entire body shook making eye contact. His eyes...they were soulless. "If you think you have suffered little princess, this is a reality check. Your father's death. Your mother's murder. Those were just the tip of the iceberg. Fate sent you my way and I promise you, dear Luna, I will do my part to make your life an unbearable hell. No one will save you from me."

I wanted to speak. The goddess knows I wanted to but the words wouldn't come out right. I knew if I dared speak a word, I would become a sobbing mess. I didn't want that. I did not want this man to know he was capable of breaking me. I would rather die. So I chose that option. If my little time in the slave quarters had taught me one thing. It was that Alpha Alexios Rose had a temper followed with a murderous intent to the slightest provocation. Defying all the nerves in my body stating that I do otherwise, I balled my hands into a fist and prepared myself for a punch. If I could land one, then I would gladly welcome death. Like my father used to say, what made a king was how big of a bang he went out with. As I raised my hand to finalize the vivid plot, Fiona's voice butted in.

"What is happening?"

My palm loosened and we both looked in her direction. Her gaze was fixated on Alexios. The look on her face hinted peak disappointment. I watched as Alexios's grip on my other hand loosened. It lasted only for a minute. Alexios let go of the collar string and tightened his hold on that hand.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting babe." He said.

Somehow his last sentence seemed to shatter the remainder of my heart more. My stupid emotional obsessive wolf was heartbroken with not the slightest self respect for her individuality. As we entered the car, I convinced myself that he had felt nothing back at the stage. My mother, bless her soul had told me of cases like this. Bucking. A rare case scenario where the mate pull is only experienced by one party and of course, it had to happen to me.

The door beeped open and Alexios shoved me in before waltzing to the front seat next to the driver. The girl, his mate, was kind enough to help me in. She unwrapped a scarf from around her neck and covered my bare body with it. It wasn't enough but I appreciated the effort. It also thickened my thoughts about the goddess' matches. Alexios Rose did not deserve this woman. Sure he was the kind of man most girls would die for. He had dark brooding looks, and a fierceness about him that would make any girl's knees go weak but my father had been just like that. A stark difference from my mother and I knew how that went down.